I expect this to be a fairly low-volume sub but absolutely would love it if people were to contribute things concerning academia - from primary to post-doc, no academic subject is out of bounds.

Be civil.

Be on-topic.

No drama.

You're free to rant and rave on other subs. This one is for very specific content and the specificity will be maintained for all submissions. There's some leeway for comments, but remain civil. Keep your drama to the other subs.

I'd like to use this sub's higher-than-average ability to use powers of analysis and verification of sources to confirm or disprove a USAToday article claiming falsehoods perpetrated by President Trump.

The article claims Trump is incorrect in his assertion that employees of the VA offices were protected from removal due to poor performance. The article's primary source for relevant info links to Fedscope's section on Office Personnel Management where it is assumed the data backing the claim can be easily found and understood.
I followed the link and tried to access the data on employees discharge rates and reasoning. I have been unsuccessful.
I humbly ask this sub to assist me in finding the data referenced in the article to either prove or disprove the claims made therein.

Sometimes it takes more eyes than mine to access and comprehend the data, or maybe the article fails to properly vet itself. I'm starting to suspect the latter. If you have some time and are skilled at navigating such gov websites, please help me make sense of the article and claims. Thank you for the consideration.

Well, I couldn't do it. Short of blind calling the numbers listed on the gov site, I was unable to get the records or data referenced in the article. Does that mean I suck at research? Maybe. Does it mean USAToday needs to be clearer and have better sourced articles? Certainly.